The entertainment was rife both on and off the field as Hobart Zebras served up a treat in front of a packed house at Darcy street, finishing as 6-1 victors over South Hobart.
It wasn't a game for the faint hearted with tackles coming in hot, creating many quick turnovers around the park. The Zebras hummed on a different level in creating opportunities in the final third, deservedly finding six goals in return, while South struggled to build momentum from any of the midfield breaking runs they could create.
The midfield was where the ball was won early in the piece, with some major plays in that area of the field throughout the game. As usual, South tried to put their foot in early and give a fright to their opponent, however it wasn’t long until the Zebras brought the match under control. Hitting the side netting early, it was down the right flank and that ball in behind the fullback releasing Lily Hulton where Zebras found their early opportunities.
A mixture of desperate defending and some stunning efforts from Georgia McMullen in goal, kept the away side at bay for nearly twenty minutes. But the deadlock was broken after Zoe Nichols put in a ball to Allie Berry, who needed a second bite of the cherry to get it into the back of the net after her first effort was denied by the feet of the goalkeeper.
Having found the back of the net once, the Zebras quickly doubled the lead. Provider turned goalscorer as Nichols headed home a bullet from a thundering cross put in by Erin Delaney from the right flank.
The game evened out as South attempted to fight back from the shock of conceding two goals in quick succession. However any steam they found in releasing the ball forward was promptly denied by quality defending or lack of options to play the ball to. While the Zebras had some near opportunities late in the half, it was South who nearly clawed some hope into it on the death of the half. On the pitch for a first half appearance after fighting her way back from a injury, Phoebe Djakic made her last touch of the half count when she fired a shot forcing a low save by Zebras keeper Kacee Ponting.
While the ball was won and lost through the guts of the field, it was down the flanks where chances were being created. The Zebras didn’t need long to expose that threat and five minutes in, Hulton opened the scoring. A low cross put in had too much on it for McMullen to keep her hands on, seeing the ball slip through and into the feet of Hulton, who had an empty net to finish in.
Her side three goals up and still not satisfied, Hulton soon turned on the quality in the 61st minute with a delicious chip, guiding the ball over the keepers head and down into the net.
As the Zebras were stepping things up on the park, the crowd were equally revving up. The fourth goal the instigator of a vocal cheer squad. When Bronte Gadon rustled up an absolute gem of a finish to provide a consolation goal, it sounded like the World Cup had been won.
However it was definitely the Zebras who came back, and showed just how dominate they are by the games end. Berry found a confident, far post finish after rounding the keeper and then Keilin Fagan finished off a classic team goal, to bring the game to the final 6-1 result.
All in all, it was a special day at Darcy Street to send off the Matildas with an “Allez Matildas” banner unveiled post game that was produced by Students at South Hobart primary. The Zebras provided magic on the park, while the heart shown by South Hobart won them a large section of the crowd.